Early Origins of the Wolwen family

The surname Wolwen was first found in Pembrokeshire (Welsh: Sir Benfro), a county in south-west Wales, anciently part of the Welsh kingdom of Deheubarth, where the family claim descent from Gualgnain or Gwalwynne, who was King Arthur's sister's son, as attested by historians William of Malmesbury, and Robert of Gloucester. The name traces its roots to Normandy where Geoffry Wawein was listed there in 1198.

The Domesday Book lists the name as Walduinus in Staffordshire. [1]CITATION[CLOSE]Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X) Later in 1205, Welwin was listed in Essex.

John Wallensis, Walensis or Galensis ( fl. 1215) was a Welsh canon lawyer who taught at Bologna, and wrote glosses and another John Wallensis or Waleys (fl. 1283), was a Franciscan, described as 'of Worcester' in a manuscript of his 'Summa Collectionum' at Peterhouse.

Thomas Wallensis or Gualensis (d. 1255), was a Welsh divine, Bishop of St. David's, former a canon of Lincoln in 1235. [2]CITATION[CLOSE]Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print

Early History of the Wolwen family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wolwen research.Another 140 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1066, 1389, 1336, 1342, 1343, 1379, 1600, 1681 and 1647 are included under the topic Early Wolwen History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wolwen Spelling Variations

Welsh surnames are relatively few in number, but they have an inordinately large number of spelling variations. There are many factors that explain the preponderance of Welsh variants, but the earliest is found during the Middle Ages when Welsh surnames came into use. Scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, which often resulted in a single person's name being inconsistently recorded over his lifetime. The transliteration of Welsh names into English also accounts for many of the spelling variations: the unique Brythonic Celtic language of the Welsh had many sounds the English language was incapable of accurately reproducing. It was also common for members of a same surname to change their names slightly, in order to signify a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even patriotic affiliations. For all of these reasons, the many spelling variations of particular Welsh names are very important. The surname Wolwen has occasionally been spelled Walwyn, Wallwyn, Wallin, Walwin and others.

Migration of the Wolwen family to the New World and Oceana

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many people from Wales joined the general migration to North America in search of land, work, and freedom. These immigrants greatly contributed to the rapid development of the new nations of Canada and the United States. They also added a rich and lasting cultural heritage to their newly adopted societies. Investigation of immigration and passenger lists has revealed a number of people bearing the name Wolwen: James Walwyn settled in Barbados in 1678 with his daughter Anne, and servants; John Wallin settled in New England in 1764; Mr. Wallin settled in New York in 1841..

The Wolwen Motto

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Drwy rynwedd gwardMotto Translation: In this cause I would bleed.